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FREEPOR
0^
Q
See Freeport election results on The
Leader's website
FR£S?ORT UEUORiA!- LiaU'-aa FBEEPORT m 11520 a'^
aiffl
74th Year, No. 12 Freeport, N.Y. 11520
The Community Newspaper
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Freeport's Rescue 9 is 50!
FREEPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT Emergency Rescue Company 9 hosted its 50th Anniversary Dinner Dance at Bridgeview Yacht Club in Island Park. Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby joined Freeport Mayor William Glacken and other elected officials in congratulating members of Emergency
Rescue Company 9 during the celebration. Above are ex-captains of Emergency Rescue Co. 9, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby (second left), Trustee Don Miller (third right), Mayor William Glacken (second right) and county Legislator Joe Scannell (right).
County wori(ing to balance budget
by Douglas Finlay
Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman told a crowd of nearly 50 at last week's AARP meeting at Mepham High School that four unions had agreed to provide concessions to help infuse $43 million into a $130 million budget deficit while saving several hundred county employees from being laid off in the bargain.
Another $7 million in concessions were estimated once the last union agreed to them, for a total of $50 million back into the budget that has to be balanced by April 1, by county charter rule.
He also told the audience that $40 mil­lion in federal economic stimulus money
Freeport school budget
picture improves
page 3
would further help pay down the coun­ty's debt for this year.
Lost sales, lost revenues
Mr. Weitzman explained to those in attendance that a loss in sales tax of $100 million from decreases in purchas­es of goods and items had put the coun­ty budget $130 million in the hole, the balance of the deficit budget carrying over from 2008.
"With a $2.6 billion annual budget, sales tax constitutes 40% of that budg­et," remarked Mr. Weitzman. "If there are no sales, there is no tax revenue coming in."
Asked if the county could have antici­pated the losses and taken corrective
At the Baldwin Library
page 5
action before the losses were experi­enced, he said, "The state has a $16 bil­lion deficit and New York City has a $5 billion deficit. Did they see those deficits coming? Could anyone have seen what was coming?"
He also cautioned that 2009 could see a decline of 4-8% again in sales tax, adding "I've never seen two straight years of decline like this" since the Suozzi admin­istration has been in power.
Bright spots included the unemploy­ment rate still at less than 7% - below the national average, and only 1,200 forclo-sures in the county in 2008.
Among concessions county officials negotiated was lag times in getting paid, with two less paychecks in 2009. Union
members would get that back when they retire.
Another concession was accelerated retirement, in which senior union mem-' bers would agree to retire while no replacement would be offered for them..
Police unions, including the PBA, the Superior Officers Association and the Corrections Officers Association, agreed to take no more than two times their twi­light years' pay when retiring, pay that would normally go toward increasing their retirement income more than two times. They would then get their retire­ment in one lump sum.
But 200 police officers would be required to retke for the savings to be real­ized in the budget, Mr. Weitzman said.
(continued on page 12)
A leader in fiscal responsibility
pages
Varied agenda for village board
page 10

This digital image may be freely used for educational uses, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this image is permitted without written permission of the Freeport Memorial Library, 144 W. Merrick Road, Freeport, NY 11520 or email: frreference@freeportlibrary.info

This digital image may be freely used for educational uses, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this image is permitted without written permission of the Freeport Memorial Library, 144 W. Merrick Road, Freeport, NY 11520 or email: frreference@freeportlibrary.info

text

FREEPOR
0^
Q
See Freeport election results on The
Leader's website
FR£S?ORT UEUORiA!- LiaU'-aa FBEEPORT m 11520 a'^
aiffl
74th Year, No. 12 Freeport, N.Y. 11520
The Community Newspaper
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Freeport's Rescue 9 is 50!
FREEPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT Emergency Rescue Company 9 hosted its 50th Anniversary Dinner Dance at Bridgeview Yacht Club in Island Park. Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby joined Freeport Mayor William Glacken and other elected officials in congratulating members of Emergency
Rescue Company 9 during the celebration. Above are ex-captains of Emergency Rescue Co. 9, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby (second left), Trustee Don Miller (third right), Mayor William Glacken (second right) and county Legislator Joe Scannell (right).
County wori(ing to balance budget
by Douglas Finlay
Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman told a crowd of nearly 50 at last week's AARP meeting at Mepham High School that four unions had agreed to provide concessions to help infuse $43 million into a $130 million budget deficit while saving several hundred county employees from being laid off in the bargain.
Another $7 million in concessions were estimated once the last union agreed to them, for a total of $50 million back into the budget that has to be balanced by April 1, by county charter rule.
He also told the audience that $40 mil­lion in federal economic stimulus money
Freeport school budget
picture improves
page 3
would further help pay down the coun­ty's debt for this year.
Lost sales, lost revenues
Mr. Weitzman explained to those in attendance that a loss in sales tax of $100 million from decreases in purchas­es of goods and items had put the coun­ty budget $130 million in the hole, the balance of the deficit budget carrying over from 2008.
"With a $2.6 billion annual budget, sales tax constitutes 40% of that budg­et," remarked Mr. Weitzman. "If there are no sales, there is no tax revenue coming in."
Asked if the county could have antici­pated the losses and taken corrective
At the Baldwin Library
page 5
action before the losses were experi­enced, he said, "The state has a $16 bil­lion deficit and New York City has a $5 billion deficit. Did they see those deficits coming? Could anyone have seen what was coming?"
He also cautioned that 2009 could see a decline of 4-8% again in sales tax, adding "I've never seen two straight years of decline like this" since the Suozzi admin­istration has been in power.
Bright spots included the unemploy­ment rate still at less than 7% - below the national average, and only 1,200 forclo-sures in the county in 2008.
Among concessions county officials negotiated was lag times in getting paid, with two less paychecks in 2009. Union
members would get that back when they retire.
Another concession was accelerated retirement, in which senior union mem-' bers would agree to retire while no replacement would be offered for them..
Police unions, including the PBA, the Superior Officers Association and the Corrections Officers Association, agreed to take no more than two times their twi­light years' pay when retiring, pay that would normally go toward increasing their retirement income more than two times. They would then get their retire­ment in one lump sum.
But 200 police officers would be required to retke for the savings to be real­ized in the budget, Mr. Weitzman said.
(continued on page 12)
A leader in fiscal responsibility
pages
Varied agenda for village board
page 10